steigee



(N0 Model.)

J. STEIGER.

No. 232,909. PatentedOct. 5,1880.

ATTES www QAM N. PETERS, PNO'I'O-LWNDGRAF'OEBV WASHINGTON. D. 61

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETcE.

JACOB STEIGER, OF HERISAU, CANTON APPENZELL, SWITZERLAND.

TRIIVHVHNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,909, dated October 5, 1880. Application filed April 20, 1880. (No model.) Patented in France November 27, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB STEIGER, of Herisau, Canton Appenzell, Switzerland, have invented certain Improvements in Trimmings, of which the following is a specification.

In making up ladies and childrens underclothing and other garments it has been customary to trim them with either embroidery or lace, the former being the more massive and showy and the latter the more delicate and reined in appearance. Some attempts have been made to combine these two varieties of trimmings, and thereby to take advantage of the desirable qualities ot' both, but they have not yet been entirely successful.

So far as l am aware, but two methods have been tried, one of which consists in sewing a narrow strip of lace to the edge of the embroidery, following the scallops or con volutions of that edge by puckering or plaiting the lace, and the other in underlaying a piece of embroidered trimming with a piece ot' lace, the bottom edge of the lace projecting below the embroidery, so as to show sufciently.

The first of these methods is t'onnd undesirable, because of the necessity ot' puckeri ng the lace, so that it has the appearance ot' an uneven lace ruffle sewed to the edge of the embroidery; and the second, while it overcomes this fault and preserves the lace in llat shape, presents a bad appearance by reason ot' the lace being behind the embroidery, and is also unduly expensive from the necessity of using so much lace that cannot be made to show. Furthermore, the embroidery and lace have been made without any reference to each other, and have been inharmonions in design and utterly unadapted to each other, and the embroidery used has had the usual fastedge, a wide and thickly-ridged border ot' thread applied after the manner of button-hole stitchin This gives the embroidery a finished appearance quite unsuited to the addition of lace, and makes the line of its union with the lace too apparent.

The object of my present improvement is to overcome these defects and produce a trimming of combined embroidery and lace which shall have a workmanlike and harmonious appearance, and which shall be economical of material and easy ot' production.

My invention consists in joining together, edge to edge, a strip of embroidery and astrip of lace whose meeting edges are formed to resemble each other in texture or substance, the lower portion of the embroidery being made light and open, and the upper portion of the lace being made close and heavy, that the line of junction of the two elements of the trimming shall not be apparent,and the trimming as a whole shall possess an appearance of unity and harmony, and it also consists in forming the embroidery with a scallopedlower edge of curved or angular outline, and the lace with a scalloped upper edge of corresponding outline, that the two may it accurately together edge to edge.

In the accompanying drawings, the three views of which illustrate three different forms ot" my improved compound trimming, A represents the embroidery, and B the lace, which are neatly sewed or otherwise secured together edge to edge, as shown.

The embroidery and lace are formed with special reference to each other in respect to design, substance, and outline. The design or pattern of each is made to harmonize with that of the other, being preferably of the same spacing and character, so that the completed trimming shall present a congruous and consistent appearance. The meeting edges ofthe embroidery and lace are formed as like each other as the diverse nature of the two materials will permit, in order that the line of their union may not be appa-rent. This I accomplish by omitting from the embroidery the usual thick fast edge, forming its lower edge with a stitch no heavier than that employed in its design, and making its lower portion light and open, that it may resemble lace as much as possible, and by forming the upper edge ofthe lace with its threads brought closely together, so as to give it as heavy and solid an appearance as possible.

Embroidery is usually made with more or less perforations, forming part of its pattern, and to give the lower portion of my embroidery the open appearance referred to l form it with a preponderance of these perforations, preferably arran ging a continuous row of them along the lower edge, as shown in Fig. l. The meeting edges of the embroidery and lace may fol- IOO low a straight line, as shown in Fig. 3, but itis preferable to form the embroidery with a scallopped lower edge of curves or angles, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this being the more showy and ornate. In this case I form my lace strip with a scalloped upper edge corresponding with and itting accurately to the scalloped edge of the embroidery. If it is desired that the lace shall lie ilat when attached to the embroidery it will be woven or formed in a straight strip, with the scallops of thel same length as those ot the embroidery; but if it is desired to be somewhat ruffled or i'luted at its outer edge it may be formed in a curve, its upper edge being on the inside or toward the center of the curve, so that when this edge is sewed to the embroidery the straightening of the lower edge will produce the desired fullness or ruffle. My construction produces a unitorm rufiiewhether the edge of the embroidery is scalloped or straight, the greater fullness of rutile being at the outer or lower edge, whereas by the old method ot' sewing a straight strip of lace to the scalloped edge of a strip of embroidery the greatest fullness of ruffle around the convex scallops was on the inside or next the embroidery, and an outward accumulation of lace occured in each of the angles between the scallops.

By my construction the lace is iiat and smooth at its junction with the embroidery, and may be either iiat or ruftled at its outer edge, according to the taste ofthe designer.

Instead of the lace and embroidery being made separately and then joined together, the embroidery may be completed irst, and the lace be woven or formed onto or as a continuation of it, if preferred.

My improved trimming' has as awhole more solidity and attractiveness than lace, and more lightness, delicacy, and refinement than embroidery. The embroidery composing it gives to it massiveness and decision, while the lace serves as a light finish for the embroidery, and imparts a graceful and aerial appearance to the trimming.

By the word embroidery in this specification I mean a strip of goods embroidered with any suitable pattern, and its lower edge trimmed close to the embroidered portion, so that the lace when attached is joined directly to the embroidered portion of the goods.

I wish it understood that I make no claim to the combination of lace and embroidery in one trimming, or to sewing lace and embroidery together edge to edge, these methods, as before stated, being old and well known; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A trimming ot combined embroidery and lace joined together edge to edge, wherein the lower portion of the strip of embroidery is formed light and open, and its lower edge is worked with a stitch no heavier than that employed in its pattern, and the upper edge of the strip of lace is formed with its threads close together, whereby the two edges are rendered substantially like each other, and the line of their union is concealed, substantially as 'set forth.

2. A trimming consisting ot' a strip of embroidery having a scalloped lower edge and a strip of lace whose Lipper edge is formed with scallops the reverse ot' and conforming to the scalloped edge of the embroidery, the two being joined together edge to edge, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB STEIGER. Witnesses T. VOGEL, R. H. MEYER, Jr. 

